Pokemon Sagas: Wind beneath My Wings
by KingOGreen2.0
Summary: The two legendary Flying types Zapdos and Moltres are running rampant in the skies over Johto. The gym leaders Falkner and Winona find themselves in the crossfire created by these two legends. This battle is much more than a mere test of strength. Can the two of them subdued the raging legendary Pokemon and stop the mysterious group that aim to capture them?
1. Chapter 1: Romance in the Air

Pokémon Sagas: Wind beneath My Wings

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><p><strong>The events of this story immediately follow the events of Chapter 34 in Pokemon Sagas: Tia's Tales.<strong>

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><p>Chapter 1: Romance in the Air<p>

Violet City is known as the city with the nostalgic scent. No one knows this better than Falkner. Born and raised in Violet he spent his life trying to live up to his father's legacy as the greatest Flying type trainer. He was able to prove himself worthy to be the gym leader when his father retired and now trains every day to become stronger. The aroma of Violet City has always helped keep Falkner in high spirits.

Today was an especially nice day in the city; lovely weather, just finished an intense battle, and sharing lunch at his favorite restaurant with a very special guest. Falkner is lucky enough to have a little time to spend with Winona, the Fortree City gym leader and his girlfriend.

"I have to say that Tia girl is a wonderful trainer. I have high expectations for her." Winona says between bites. She anxiously awaits the day she gets to battle Tia herself.

"I'll say, she really gave Noctowl and Pidgeotto a run for their money." Falkner flashes his trademarked smile. Falkner is a very handsome man by many women's' standards. Winona is definitely a head turner herself. Together the two made quite the power couple. They are at times the talk of the Pokemon league due to how high profile their relationship is. Truly no institution is without gossip. They didn't let this bother them though. Falkner and Winona are perfectly happy with being just a simple couple without any glitz or glamour.

Falkner decides to changes the topic however. "I think we have something more important to talk about though." Falkner smiles and puts his hand on hers across the table.

"What might that be?" She feints ignorance with a cute smile.

Falkner chuckles, "Nothing big, you know just our one year anniversary." He says coolly and slides a black jewelry case across the table.

Winona smiles widely, "It's wonderful that you remembered." She picks it up and look inside to find a small necklace with a Silver Wing on it. Her eyes light up, "Falkner, it's beautiful!" She blushes, and holds it up to the light and watches it shimmer in the light. The light hits the Silver Wing is such a way that a rainbow of color shines down on her in a beautiful luminescent display.

She marvels at the beauty while Falkner takes the seat next to her. "Here, I'll help you put it on." The two smile warmly. Falkner grabs the necklace while Winona moves her hair out of the way giving Falkner a glimpse of her neck. He links the chain of the necklace and quickly kisses the nape of her neck as well.

Winona turns back towards him still blushing, "Thank you dear, it's lovely." She reciprocates his feelings with a soft kiss on the lips. "I'm sorry I don't really have anything nearly this thoughtful." She hands a small box to him.

Inside is a very nice watch with a leather strap with decorative wing patterns on it. He smiles and eagerly puts it on. "You know I'm horrible about keeping track of time. So this perfect for me." He laughs. "It's great Winona. This is more thoughtful than you know." He takes his seat across from her again and the two continue their meal.

Once they were done they head out back to the gym. Along the way they stop and look out at the seas beyond. "Such a lovely sight." Winona is entranced by the crystal clear, blue water and the glisten of the sun.

"Now you know why I love this city so much." Falkner speaks softly as he walks up beside her. She nods and takes his hand delicately into her own. "Still I think this view is only the second most beautiful think in the world." His works hit deep as Winona gently squeezes his hand. Her heart is pounding as she takes in the sweet words he says.

Winona doesn't say a word, but smiles serenely before leaning in for another kiss. The two continue walking hand-in-hand back towards the gym. Neither cared who saw them together, but there definitely hear whispers as they pass by. Mostly older couples saying what a cute couple they are or how Falkner and Winona remind them of their youth.

They two enter the gym and release their hands. Falkner still wanting to be close to Winona decides to put and arm over his girlfriend's shoulder. Winona continues to blush, but much more vibrantly.

Her heart begins to pound again as she thinks of something to say. "So what shall we do now?" Winona asks as she looks down to continue admiring her Silver Wing and its glorious luster.

"I thought you and I could go out flying." He suggests knowing Winona loves to fly around just as much as he does. "The weather's perfect so I thought this would be the perfect chance."

Winona smiles and nods, "Indeed, I'd love to fly through Johto. The air in these parts are so different from the sea air of Hoenn." She serenely looks up at the glass ceiling of the gym with a big smile. She pulls out a Pokeball and lets out her Tropius. She walks up and pets her Pokémon before climbing on its back.

"I guess I'll use my Pidgeot." He calls out his fully evolved Pokémon and jumps onto its back with style. "Race ya," he smirks and flies off at rapid speeds.

Winona laughs and shouts up to him, "You're on!" Her Tropius is quick to ascend and wastes no time catching up to Falkner. "Is that all your Pidgeot can muster?" She says with a smirk and flies on ahead.

"You're not going to take that are you, Pidgeot?" Falkner says pointing forward. His Pokemon quickly complies, maneuvering through the air and easily passing Tropius. "Let's see you top that." He boasts.

"Oh, did I hurt someone's pride?" She says with a coy smile. They continue to fly side-by-side in perfect sync. Their Pokemon still racing, but keeping up a solid pace and even speeds.

The two eventually race out past the land and over the ocean. The beauty of the sea below is breath taking to both Winona and Falkner. Falkner looks over at Winona and flashes a smile before Pidgeot ascends higher in the sky at a rapid pace. At the height of his arc Pidgeot quickly raises its wings and leans down to turn all that force back downward. Pidgeot rapidly descends towards the ocean. Falkner holds on tight while Pidgeot wets one of his wings and splashes up a big wave in the water creating a miniature rainbow.

Falkner slowly reaches back up to Winona's level as the two turn back towards land. Flying beside Falkner, Winona can't help but smile and feel so free. The skies have always been an escape for her. She is all too happy to share them with someone like Falkner. "Thank you, Falkner. I'm having a lovely time."

"I'm happy to hear that. I just wanted to do something you love. Strangest idea for a date ever, I know." He laughs. He was never one for the conventional approach. Lucky enough for him neither was Winona. The two shared more than just a common love of Flying types. Love of battling aside, the two always feel so at ease when they are together. As if they have an unspoken understanding.

Winona shakes her head, "That's why I like you Falkner, you want to do things I like to do also. We don't just do the usual boyfriend, girlfriend things. You always have some unique and exciting idea for us." At the end of the day it didn't matter what they did, because she knows he thinks with both his mind and heart.

Falkner smiles, but then he notices something. Something strange, the air was warming up and he notices a glint of light in the distance. "Pidgeot!" He quickly pushes Tropius and bounces off of it. Before Winona could ask what he did that for a bolt of lightning strikes down through the air. The sharp jolt tears through the air with a crash as it hits the ground below. That attack was no normal Thunder attack. The sheer power behind it would have knocked Tropius out instantly.

In a flash, a bright yellow figure flies through the air shooting of bolts of lightning. A large Flying type appears and fires a huge burst follows as a second Flying type comes into view. The two are locked in an intense battle and the couple are caught in the middle. Their peaceful afternoon flight has suddenly become a war zone.

"Falkner what's going on?" Winona panics to get back to her boyfriend.

He stares in awe, "I've never seen anything like this before. Those are two of the legendary Flying types: Zapdos and Moltres!" He shakes his head, "Why are they fighting each other?" The legends are known to mostly stay in seclusion and rarely ever made their presence known to others. "I've heard the legends, but I've never actually seen them before." He's equal parts amazed and terrified at their sheer destructive power.

Winona flies back over, "Dear, we need to get out of here." She says urgently. Falkner nods and the two carefully fly in the opposite direction. Moltres continues its barge of fire while Zapdos unleashes bolts of lightning that rip through the air. Neither Pokemon seem to care about their surrounds which further worries the two. The uncontrollable rage of the two legends is even more disturbing. Falkner looks back and sees them both fighting in very erratic and vicious ways. He may not have much knowledge of legendary Pokemon, but from what everything he's read they are mostly docile unless provoked. What's even stranger is that Zapdos, Moltres, and even Articuno are rarely ever seen outside of Kanto. If seen at all.

Winona is focused on escaping, but even she feels there is something off about all of this. On one hand, she is worried about being caught in the cross fire. On the other, it is a very rare sight indeed. Most go their entire lives without even seeing one legendary Pokemon. She can't admire it for too long however. A very unfortunately timed stray bolt hits Tropius and knocks it out instantly. This was nothing more than residual energy from a Discharge no less. To fell Tropius in one hit was a sign of Zapdos's true power. That, unfortunately, isn't the extent of the damage dealt. Winona shouts in agony taking a large amount of the attack too. She's beings to fall out of the air rapidly with her Tropius. She falls like a helpless rag doll through the air as she rapidly approaches the ground.

"Winona!" Falkner shouts and literally jumps off of Pidgeot. He free falls to Winona and grabs her and holds her tight. He calls out his Swellow who flies down and catches them before they hit the ground. He pants as the adrenaline dies down. He shakes Winona who is out cold and showing no sign of waking up anytime soon. He's just relieved she's safe. He has Swellow take them back to the gym and he recalls Tropius who had a less than pleasant landing. Thankfully, Pokémon are leagues more resilient that humans. As they fly away he looks at both Zapdos and Moltres with a determined gaze. He will stop their rampage. If not for Winona then for all the people whose lives are in danger because of the two out of control powerhouses.

Right now, all that matters is making sure Winona is alright. She's out cold and her breathing is shallow. He knows is girlfriend is tougher than that, but few things can hold their own against the might of a legendary Pokemon. All he can do is get her back to safety and hope for the best.

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><p>Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoyed. Please don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter and series as a whole. So to once more clarify this story takes place after the events of the 34th chapter of Pokemon Sagas: Tia's Tales. Reading Tia's Tales in not pivotal to the plot, but the events which occurred in that chapter directly lead into this story as you have seen. This is the second of many stories in the Pokemon Sagas series ans I really hope this is received well. Next week will be Chapter 35 of Tia's Tales.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: Zephyr of the Heart

Chapter 2: Zephyr of the Heart

Winona shoots her head up and begins to scream and clasps her chest. Falkner quickly puts his hands on her shoulders and get her attention. "Winona it's alright, you're safe now. We're back at the gym." He holds her close to calm her down.

She looks around dazed. "What happened?" She speaks short on breath.

"You were hit by one of Zapdos's stray lightning bolts. Are you alright?" He asks her very worried about her safety.

She nods, "Yes, just a little shaken is all." Winona takes a deep breath and clutches her arms feeling the lingering pain of the shock. "You saved my life didn't you, Falkner?" She asks meekly.

"I did what anyone would." He says modestly.

She shakes her head, "Dear, you saved my life." She leans forward and kisses him. "I owe you," she smiles.

"You don't owe me anything. Besides, it was the right thing to do. Any guy worth his salt would jump to save his girlfriend. Yeah, I guess I was a bit reckless." He jokes as her thinks back to how he free fell after her.

"You've certainly never been considered reckless." Winona gives him an impish smile along with a sarcastic tone in her voice.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Falkner jokingly plays along. He sits down on the bed beside her a places a hand gently onto hers. He finally stops to exhale a long under due, exacerbated breath. "Thank god you're alright. I don't know what I would have done if I lost you?" He whispers to her softly as her takes hold of her hand.

Winona leans forward and kisses him once more. "Then don't think about it. If you're anything like me than the thought of something like that is terrifying." Winona speaks with an earnest look of concern. She clutches at her chest and Falkner instantly knows everything she is thinking without her saying a word. He may not have a special gift, but the bond that two people share when they really care about one another is still strong.

"You're right, I don't want to think about that. The last year we've been together has been wonderful. I wouldn't trade those times for anything." Falkner looks to his watch and Winona's Silver Wing with a fond expression.

"In the three years we've known each other I feel like we grew closer every day. We entered the league together, studied together, and trained together. I remember when I told Flannery we were dating her first reaction was, 'so you two finally made it official?'" Falkner and Winona both share a laugh.

"Yeah, Morty and Tom were the same way." He looks into her eyes and she looks back at him. "I love you." He didn't care if it was abrupt or the timing wasn't right. Falkner didn't care about making sure the mood was right or that everything perfect. Winona herself has said many times that she likes him for who he is and not the things he does.

Winona smiles widely and wipes a tear from her eye. "I love you too." She embraces him slowly. The two hug silently for a few fleeting moments before they mutually let go. "Despite what happened this was a good day. Shall we go eat?" She slowly get out of bed. She feels weak as Falkner helps her stand, but she is mobile before long.

"Easy, the food's not going anywhere." He teases her as they two head out into the dining room of his gym. It's a small, cozy room located next to the kitchen. The living quarters in most gyms never really consisted of much more than a bedroom, kitchen, eating area, and their office. Which is why many opted to live in their own homes outside of the gym.

Dinner is already awaiting the two which surprises and excites Winona. "You cooked all of this?" She looks in disbelief at the elegant food prepared for them.

He has quite a spread. Winona eagerly sits down and awaits Falkner so she can dig in. "The quickest way to your heart is through your stomach I see." He teases her since food has always been a weakness of hers.

She blushes and turns up her nose, "No, I'm just hungry." She jokes. The two sit down to a pleasant meal, but don't seem to have much to say to one another. Both minds too preoccupied by their dangerous encounter. Winona sighs, "Falkner we need to talk about what happened today."

Falkner nods, "Yeah that was definitely far from normal. Legendary Pokemon do not just appear like that. And they certainly don't go around fighting like that either." He assesses the situation for himself, but he can't understand why they are attacking.

"The legends of course." Winona says like it's so obvious.

"Either way, my stance is we need to stop those legends before they cause more chaos."

"Yeah, but how? They aren't exactly that easy to take down, otherwise someone would have caught them by now." Falkner explains sounding more strategic.

Winona smirks, "Then we'll have to try harder."

"Maybe we should ask around first, see if we can figure out what's going on." Falkner suggests. "Most importantly, we eat first." He jokes and digs in.

The couple finish up their dinner and pick up a phone. "I think he's our best bet." Falkner explains while dialing.

The screen turns on a man with spiky, red hair. "Falkner, hello. Is there a reason for calling me this late in the evening?" He asks and notices Winona beside him. "Oh Winona, I wasn't aware that someone from the Hoenn league was in Johto." He addresses her awkwardly.

"It's fine Lance, but we called because earlier today we ran into a very unusual battle." Falkner says facetiously.

Lance nods, "I understand, I don't know what's caused Zapdos and Moltres to go berserk, but we're looking into it. I can keep you posted if you want."

Falkner's expression becomes sterner. "I want you to tell me the second you find anything. I'm not going to sit on the side line after this. People are in serious danger here."

Lance matches Falkner's expression. "I know how you feel. Frankly, I shouldn't be doing this, but since you're so eager to volunteer I'll trust you two to take care of this issue." Lance says knowing this could land him in hot water.

"We appreciate you sticking your neck out for us Lance." Winona smiles happily.

Lance averts his gaze slightly, "Look just don't tell anyone." He seems a little disheveled. "It was hard enough dealing with the Kanto conspiracy, anymore of this and the authorities might sticking their noses in."

"We get it, this conversation never happened." Winona smiles coyly and winks. They hang up and sit down on the couch in the main living area of the gym.

"So I guess we have to wait until we see them again?" Falkner admits.

"I guess so, I mean we could train a bit, but I think we can handle ourselves." Winona says with a dangerous level of confidence. "Next time we won't be taken off guard."

"I admire your confidence. Then maybe we should get some sleep and do a bit of training tomorrow as well." He suggests.

Winona stretches and lets out a yawn, "I suppose you're right." She gives him a weary smiles. Falkner heads for his room to grab an extra blanket and pillows to set up in the small guest room the gym had built in. "_The man I fell in love with._" Winona speaks softly to herself with a calming smile.

Meanwhile, after Lance hangs up the phone her pinches the bridge of his nose and starts to rub his temples. "This is getting out of hand. The legendary Pokemon are popping up all over the world at an increasing rate." He mutters aloud to himself and picks back up the phone. No answer. "Where are you Tom?" He grits his teeth and calls up his next best option.

A man with messy, blonde hair and a purple scarf answers. "Hey Lance, what's up?" His demeanor is lax and cheerful. Blissfully unaware of the situation at hand.

"We have a problem Morty." Lance isn't in the mood to mince words.

"Woah, what's with the tough guy routine?" Morty simply laughs this off.

"Moltres and Zapdos are on the loose around Violet City," his response is abrupt which makes Morty concerned.

"Do you need me to step in?" He speaks much more sternly as if ready to battle the legendary Pokemon all by himself.

Lance shakes his head begrudgingly, "I told Falkner and Winona that they can take care of the situation."

Morty's eyes widen, "That's a risky call. Do you think _they'll _be upset?"

Lance rubs his temples once more, "Quite the opposite, their master wants to see where this is going. Frankly, I'm worried it'll create an imbalance of power."

"You're not questioning him are you?" The two refuse to publicly acknowledge whom they are referring to, but they are still on the same page.

"No, and I'm sure both you and Tom are excited too."

Morty laughs, "You know it, but in all seriousness Lance. You need to calm down. This is happening and we can stop it. How many legendary Pokemon have been caught so far?"

"Twelve to my knowledge." He isn't about to divulge any names. Not even to Morty. Lance isn't even sure that's all of them. For all he knows there are more out there already caught. "I have to get going now. I just wanted to keep you up to date."

"Appreciate it man, later." Morty hangs up and leaves Lance alone with his thoughts. It's very possible that someday every Legendary Pokemon will be caught. Then what will happen?

Elsewhere, deep in the forests surrounding Violet City a much more sinister plot is unfolding. Two young trainers dressed in odd uniforms are gathered around a large machine with a strange antenna.

"Why isn't it work?" The young woman tinkers with the machine as it continues to act haywire. "It pasted all the tests and was able to subdue all the test Pokemon just fine."

The young man beside her just sits down and leans against a tall tree. "Give it up Haruka, the machines a piece of crap. Plus, it was never tested on legendary Pokemon before." His voice is rough as his desert tanned, white skin.

"Ryoko do you have any idea what would happen to us if we came back empty handed?" Haruka didn't even want to think of the consequences.

"It's all Ein's fault for not testing the damn thing properly to begin with!" Ryoko curses and punches the ground. Their mission was simple. Locate the nest of the legendary birds and tame them with the machine. Then all that was left was to hand them over to Team Rocket and collect a nice pay check. Of course it could never be that easy and Ryoko had a feeling that would be the case.

"We still have a mission to do Ryoko." She chastises her partner and continues adjusting the machine. "Plus, Nascour is still a little peeved we failed in aiding the capture of Vermilion City."

Ryoko groans, "He'll complain about anything. We were outnumbered. Tactical withdraw was our only option at that point. Besides we're supposed to be on vacation." His sour mood isn't helping the situation any.

Haruka finally sets down her wrench and sighs. She walks over and takes a seat next to Ryoko under the large tree. "At least we're here together. Work or not as long as you're here with me, I can be happy. I hope you feel the same way." Haruka's voice becomes quiet and gentler.

Ryoko doesn't say a word, but slowly puts an arm around Haruka to hold her closer to him. "I guess being alone in a tranquil forest with my girlfriend isn't the worst vacation in the world." He shrugs halfheartedly.

Haruka giggles and leans in to kiss Ryoko. "I love you dear."

"I love you too Haruka." The two close their eyes and relax for the first time in a while.

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><p>Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Please don't forget to leave a review of your thoughts on this chapter and the series as a whole. There hasn't been a lot of action yet, but don't worry the big climax will come in the next chapter. I wanted to use this chapter to show off how much of the world there is to this story. Spoilers: Lance's guess is off by a few trainers. I am also glad to bring Haruka and Ryoko back into the story. You didn't really think they were one shot characters did you? Anyway, hope you all look forward to the conclusion next chapter, in two weeks.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: The Heat of Passion

Chapter 3: The Heat of Passion

Early in the morning comes in the remote area of Johto, just South of Ruins of Alph. A small tent is stationed next to the large machine Haruka has been hard at work on. She and Ryoko both crawl out and stretch a bit.

"Isn't that thing fixed yet?" A very annoyed Ryoko asks not really thinking the machine won't fix itself.

"Be patient, I'll start working on it working as fast as I can. Not my fault this thing hasn't been through much testing yet." She straights her uniform and pats down her hair before resuming her work.

"While you're doing that I'm going to check the surrounding area. Make sure we haven't been compromised." He grumbles and cracks his neck. It's at this point he wishes he'd gotten more sleep the night before. Haruka herself looked a bit fatigued too. Cipher had kept them busy recently so they took the night to make up for lost time.

Ryoko heads into the brush with a Pokeball in hand. He's not calling out his Pokemon just yet, but he's ever vigilant. In the corner of his eye he sees some rustling in the bushes. He slowly looks towards it expecting a Pokemon, but it's not quite what he had expected.

A man in all black is standing there looking at him with an all-white mask covering his face sans for his left, golden eye. "We know what you are doing." His distorted voice doesn't seem to shake Ryoko's steeled confidence.

"Good for you mister weird masked man." Ryoko only offers biting sarcasm in return.

"I am Epoch. I am one of many who oversee the legendary Pokemon." He is very blunt and intimidating, but Ryoko isn't scared for a second.

"Oh so you're here to stop us then? You know giving up the element of surprise is an amateur mistake." Ryoko continues to condescend him.

"No, more to observe. If the legendary Pokemon fall into the wrong hands Master may have us take action." Epoch stands like a statue with his strangely neutral stance on the situation.

"Well look at all the damns I give." Ryoko shrugs and walks right past him. "You know with Moltres's power I could probably burn any city that opposes Cipher to the ground. Starting with Agate Village. Plus, Zapdos is basically an infinite power supply." He thinks over his master plan more and more. "You know what? Screw Team Rocket we should keep these Pokemon for ourselves and turn them into Shadow Pokemon." Ryoko gets a twisted grin on his face. "We'll pretend to hand over the Pokemon and once we get our pay we stab them right in the back." Ryoko lets out a maniacal laugh.

"It's a shame," Epoch speaks up.

Ryoko stop to take note of this. "You say something?" His face becomes quite cross.

"It's a shame that such a strong trainer would take such a dark path." For once Epoch seems to be speaking not as an observer, but speaking his own mind.

"I was born in Orre. An already terrible place. If it weren't for Cipher Haruka and I would still be stuck in the cesspool of The Under dying. This world is all about survival. I will crush anyone who tries to crush me. No matter the cost." Ryoko shows his true colors. Hatred runs deep in his blood and he would be the first to admit he's a bad man.

"Even at the cost of her life?" Epoch manages to completely derail Ryoko's line of thinking. As evil as he is to lose Haruka is to lose all reason for living.

Ryoko snaps back to reality when he sees a couple Pokemon flying overhead. "A Braviary and Tropius? Those aren't indigenous to Johto? That can't be good." He runs back to the camp with Epoch standing like a statue still.

"One can hope he may someday understand or the world will be in serious danger."

He runs back to the camp in a hurry. "Ryoko is there a problem?"

"Yeah…" He points up at the Pokémon flying overhead. "That doesn't look good

"It's just wild Pokémon I'm sure." She dismisses this instantly.

"I doubt it, I've never heard of a wild Tropius or Braviary in Johto before. Come on out Metagross." He calls out his own Pokémon to fight.

Falkner and Winona look down from their Pokémon. "You never told me you had a Braviary" Winona pointed out.

"I caught him back in Unova, but more importantly that looks like the place." Falkner points down to the large device.

They swoop down ready for a fight, but approach cautiously.

"Who the hell are you?" The Ryoko demands with his large, shiny Metagross.

"My name's Falkner. I'm the Violet City gym leader. Better question is who are you and what are you doing here?" He scowls.

"We're just tourist, we stopped for a nice picnic." He says sarcastically.

"Are you with Team Rocket?" Falkner looks at the menacing device.

"Oh no, we're here because they hired us. You see with a much bigger organization. Team Cipher of Orre." He boldly declares.

"Ryoko that was supposed to be a secret." Haruka complains.

"Not like it matters Haruka, we'll just take care of these two and get the legends. Even if that means snagging them with shadow balls." Ryoko smiles grimly. Metagross steps forward. "Time to discipline them Metagross." Ryoko says excited to get into a flight.

The shiny Pokémon lunges forward and attacks with a powerful Meteor Mash. Braviary was taken surprise, but the attack was not enough to fell this Flying type. "Brave Bird!" Falkner says with a certain determination in his voice. Falkner's Pokémon happily complies and charges after the shiny Metagross with its mighty beak and powerful wings.

While the guys are fighting Winona seizes the chance to attack the machine Haruka is working on. "Tropius use Air Slash on the machine!" She commands.

As Tropius mighty wings flapped and shot off blades of wind as an Electrode jump in the middle of the attack and takes the hit. "Nice try, but you're not ruining our plans that easily." Haruka gloats. "Electrode, be a dear and eliminate that Tropius. Electro Ball!" Haruka says all this while continuing to fix the machine. Electrode retaliates with a powerful ball of electricity the Tropius easily avoid only to get surprised by another one. Haruka laughs, "Your Tropius could never match the speed of my Pokemon. Shadow Pokémon are ten times stronger than any normal Pokémon." She continues her gloating.

"Stronger or not, you can't stand up to the strength of a gym leader! Leaf Storm!" A powerful wind kicks up and whirls leaves all around and surrounds Electrode.

"Eerie Pulse," Haruka orders as a wave of electricity disrupts the attack and hits Tropius shaking it up a bit. "Okay another Electro Ball!" Haruka shouts. Electrode begins to fire off another attack when it's suddenly interrupted by a burst of electricity. The sharp cry of Zapdos rips through the air and the two legends descend locked in combat.

"There they are, get them Metagross!" Ryoko points to the two legends instructing his Pokémon to take the initiative and ignores the Braviary. The two Pokémon break from their fight to fight off the Pokémon around so they would not be interrupted. Zapdos eliminates Electrode in a second taking Tropius with it. Metagross took the brunt of a Flamethrower. Next, the Pokémon set their sights on the evil machine. "Oh damn, Metagross I need you to use Protect." Ryoko panics and watches his Pokémon stagger to its feet. "Metagross now!" He shouts fiercely. Metagross with the last of its energy runs forward and uses Protect.

The hit connects and blows up the machine. "Looks like your Metagross was too late." Falkner says victoriously sporting a cocky grin. The smoke clears and notices the Metagross wasn't protecting the machine. Falkner looks confused at his opponent who charges forward.

"Haruka!" He exclaims running over to her. "Haruka, please tell me you're alright." Forgetting everything her embraces her.

She nods, "I'm fine, but the machine was destroyed." She looks disappointed.

He scowls at her, "Forget the machine! You're safety is what's important." He calls back his severely weaken Metagross as the two legends continue to fight it out.

Falkner steps up, "We have to stop them now," he points ignoring Haruka and Ryoko.

Winona walks up, "It's dangerous; you need to get out of here." She says sternly.

"Why should we?" Ryoko replies still determined to fight.

"Because you obviously care more about her safety than those legendary Pokémon." Winona saw right through his harden exterior. She gives them a small smile, "This has been eye opening. I would never had thought people like you would love someone so much."

Ryoko looks at her, "We're still human," he quietly walks away with Haruka. She rejoins Falkner and draws another Pokeball, "Go, Altaria!" She shouts calling out her strongest fighter.

Falkner smiles, "So how are we doing this, I take Moltres and you take Zapdos?"

"That will work with me." She hones in on Zapdos, "Altaria use Dragonbreath!" She says with a new found vigor. The hit connects and distracts Zapdos from Moltres and prompts a Thunderbolt at Altaria. "Perfect, Use Mist and hide!" Winona commands expertly. Altaria dodges the preliminary attack and casts up a vial of Mist. "Now, Dragon Dance followed by Sky Attack." Using the Mist as a perfect cover to charge itself; Zapdos is left blasting aimlessly.

Meanwhile, Falkner isn't faring as well with Moltres. The mighty bird managed to avoid all of the fatigued Braviary's attacks. In a flash Moltres manages to get off a powerful Sky Attack itself.

"Damn, return," He ponders his next move. "My father's Pidgeot has never disappointed me. I need you to help me defeat this legendary Pokémon." He boldly declares to his Pokeball. He calls out his strongest and in a burst of light Pidgeot rips through the sky and drills into the underside of Moltres.

Moltres winces and fires off another burst at Falkner's star Pokémon. Pidgeot's speed is insurmountable. Moltres tries to catch up with the mighty speed of Falkner's Pokémon.

"Okay time for an Agility and Tailwind combo!" Falkner watches the battle with such zeal. Pidgeot was practically a blur as it ripped through the sky. "Air Slash!" He shouts forcefully.

While Falkner's fight heat up Winona had her chance to charge her attack and with a mighty strike Altaria plowed through the mist hitting Zapdos. This did a large amount of damage, but Zapdos held in strong and fired a Zap Cannon point blank. Altaria isn't looking to good after such a powerful hit.

Winona began to worry. "Okay Altaria Cotton Guard and retreat into the mist." She takes the defensive. Unfortunately, Zapdos is having none of that and chases after Altaria. Thinking fast Winona thought up a plan. "I didn't think I'd have to use this, but I have no other choice. Perish Song!" In a last resort she used the end all move for her and Altaria. Even if her Pokémon were to fall at least Zapdos would be going down with it.

On Falkner's end Moltres was on the ropes, but standing strong even getting a few hits in itself. "We can't take too much more of this Pidgeot. We need something to end this now. I have an idea. Fly high and charge down on Moltres!" He orders.

"Altaria I need you to do the same thing. Follow Pidgeot." Winona commands.

The two Flying types fly towards the heavens and pull a quick U-turn into a nose dive.

"Giga Impact!" The couple shouts in unison.

Zapdos and Moltres both retaliate with a Zap Cannon and a Fire Blast respectively. This didn't stop the two birds from charging with all their might and will. In a flash the hit connect and toppled them along with the legends.

Without missing a beat as the legendary birds hit the ground Winona and Falkner threw Ultraballs at them. The Ultraballs shook once, twice, and finally a third time before securing with a ping. The two gym leaders' exhale and fall to the ground.

"That was intense," Falkner says exhausted.

"Yeah, but we did it. We caught the legendary Pokémon Moltres and Zapdos." It sounded so surreal and foreign to her.

"We caught the legendary Pokémon Moltres and Zapdos. We caught the legendary Pokémon Moltres and Zapdos!" He realized as it sank it. "Winona, babe this is amazing! Do you know how many people have ever even so much as spotted a legendary Pokémon? And now we have two of them!" He jumps up and runs over to his Pokeball.

Winona joins him, "You're right, this is a feat that few people have ever done." She took the Pokeball in hand and admired it.

They hear clapping from the bushes, "Very good, you beat the legends. Now they and your Pokémon are severely weaken." Ryoko says with a smug look on his face. "Alakazam," he casually calls out his Pokémon. Falkner steps forward staring down Ryoko and trying to protect Winona. "Use Teleport." He says with a sly grin as he takes Haruka's hand.

"Maybe those two aren't so bad after all?" Winona ponders to herself and wraps her arm around Falkner. "Now that we got that taken care of want to head back to the gym and celebrate?" She says with a flirty, yet weary, grin.

"If by celebrate you mean sleep, then absolutely." Falkner says enthusiastically. The two share a laugh and make their way back to the gym. The first order of business was to inform Lance of their success.

"How did everything go?" He asks over the screen.

"We did it. We beat the two that were provoking the Zapdos and Moltres and stopped their rampage." Winona boasts.

Lance looks surprised, "That's amazing. Who were the ones provoking them?" He asks very concerned if Team Rocket was trying to make a power play.

"Two people from a group called Cipher. They're names were Ryoko and Haruka and Team Rocket hired them to catch the legends." Falkner explains. "We won't be worrying about them though, because we caught Zapdos and Moltres." He gives Lance a thumbs up.

Lance raises a brow, "You two _caught _the legendary Pokémon?" He asked very concerned. "Thank you for all your help. Rest well," he promptly hangs up. Lance pinches the bridge of his noses. "This has never happened before." He whispers and picks up the phone again.

"Lance, twice in two days. I feel so special." Morty jokes as he answers. "What do I owe this call?" He can assume it's a status update on the legend situation.

"It's about Zapdos and Moltres; Winona and Falkner caught them." He says sternly.

"No way, the numbers continue to grow then huh?" He says impressed. "That is definitely a surprise. How many does that make now?" Morty thinks about all the trainers he knows who possess legendary Pokemon.

"Just keep that under wraps remember?" Lance informs him. "I'll try calling Tom again and get his thoughts on the situation." He dials up Tom's number, but gets no response. "This is starting to worry me."

"Maybe he's in a tunnel?" Morty laughs. "So what's the big deal?" Morty begs the question.

"The big deal is that they are high profit targets. We don't need Team Rocket going after legendary Pokémon trainers." Lance explains.

"Fine, my lips are sealed. I'm with you though. This has me confused. We've never seen so many legendary Pokémon caught before. We must have some exceptional trainers out there right now." He smirks. "You gotta admit, this is going to be fun." Morty was anticipating something, but far be it from Lance to know what's going on in Morty's head.

Lance does nod, "You know what? You're right; this will be fun." He chuckles lightly. "I'll keep you posted and try to reach Tom." Lance tells him.

"Speaking of Tom. How's that girl he's travelling with?" He says with a sneaky grin.

"Goodbye Morty," he says in an irritated tone.

"Is she stacked at least?" He asks before getting cut off.

Meanwhile, back with Falkner and Winona. The couple get themselves cleaned up and head back to Falkner's bedroom the two both land on his bed with a thud. Sharing a laugh the couple hold hands and lace fingers.

"Well today's definitely been crazy." Falkner says looking into Winona's eyes longingly.

"No doubt, but now we sleep. We can take the legends for a test spin tomorrow." Winona giggles and scouts closer to her boyfriend. "I hope you don't mind sharing a bed with me?" She says snugging up to him.

He smiles and hugs her, "You're welcome anytime." He smiles and leans in closer to her. She takes the hint and meets him half way. The two exchange a kiss and lie above the covers. A bit too tired to care at this point "Good night Winona." He whispers into her ear and strokes her hair as her head laid on his chest.

Winona coos, "Good night Falkner," she yawns peacefully. "I love you."

Elsewhere, in a research lab in the middle of the Orre desert.

"We could have got them Ryoko." Haruka complains sitting in a small lab room.

Ryoko dismisses this, "Yeah, but did we really want to give Team Rocket that kind of edge against us?"

Haruka thinks for a moment, "Yeah, but we could have at least gone back on our word and kept them for ourselves?" Haruka's plan was devious, but definitely something they'd do.

"Trust me that was my plan from the start. Besides, they earned their victory. In the end I was more worried about you at the time." He says earnestly and walks up behind her. He wraps her arms around her waist and kisses the back of her neck. "I love you," he whispers in her ear.

She smiles, "I love you too Ryoko. Now back to work, the admins will have our asses for failing this mission." Haruka gives him her usual bossy tone that Ryoko has come to accept and love all the same.

* * *

><p>Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoyed. Please don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter and the story as a whole. Well, two more legendary Pokemon down. Lance's count was off by the way. I say this mostly because after I posted the last chapter I realized there was one he probably knows about, but you can argue he might not know about one of them. That and there are actually trainers with legendary Pokemon, like Anna, he doesn't know about. So now that this story is over we will be coming Tia's Tales, but with a Halloween Special chapter.<p> 


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